Mountain Man

I met Vern in an office environment. We were both in the same role, sat close together, and had the habit of arriving early. Thus, we quickly got to know a little about each other.

Vern was immediately a very interesting person to me. It quickly became apparent that he was a ‘no nonsense’, get the job done, kind of guy. I soon learned that Vern had some very interesting life passions. One of them being to summit mountains on a regular basis. When I first learned of this, I was instantly fascinated.

I have had the amazing opportunity to summit a variety of peaks on my bike. Vern was a man who summited monstrous beasts by climbing with his hands and feet. Continue reading “Mountain Man” →

March 27, 2017 0

Break on Through to the Other Side

I was completely numb. My body was numb. My mind was numb. Everything was numb.

I could feel myself leaving my body. It was as if I was looking down at myself, from outside of my physical being. Everything was hazy. There was no time. There almost wasn’t any space…but not quite. I still knew where I was, but only faintly.

I was drenched in heavy, sticky sweat. I was so thirsty that I had stopped being thirsty. All my beings had definitely melded into one. There was no separation between physical, mental and spiritual. I was just one single being, floating in the air, looking down at my physical representation and drifting in a weird, hazy existence. I wondered if this is what Jim Morrison meant by breaking on through to the ‘other side’.

Continue reading “Break on Through to the Other Side” →

February 28, 2017 2

I’ve Been Through the Desert with a Horse with No Name

I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name

It felt good to be out of the rain

In the desert you can remember your name

‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain

La la la la la la la, la la la, la la

The words echoed through my mind. Distant voices of people that weren’t really there. I could hear the soft strums of the guitar. A guitar that wasn’t really there.

There really wasn’t anyone to give me any pain. Just me. And my bike. Continue reading “I’ve Been Through the Desert with a Horse with No Name” →

February 1, 2017 8

Powerful, Intelligent and Strong: Stacey

My secret identity is … yes … I am actually an IT geek. I know that my writing is all about my bike, my adventures, and my journey. But, before I started cycling and spending time in the mountains, I was a computer scientist. This is how I met Stacey. Stacey is the brilliant leader of the security team at one of the companies that I contracted for. She was one of my key stakeholders on multiple projects, and thus, I quickly got to know her as an IT professional. Always strategic, mindful, and very professional, she was one stakeholder that I definitely enjoyed working with.

During our time as work colleagues, I got a glimpse into the many sides of Stacey. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I quickly came to realize that Stacey is quite the endurance athlete. I barely had time to train for one sport. I didn’t know how she balanced a full time professional career, training for three sports, and a family!!! Yes, it did appear to me that Stacey was some sort of superwoman who did it all. Yet, when I asked her if she would have time for a coffee as I was wanting to learn more about how she kept her immune system strong, she didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Continue reading “Powerful, Intelligent and Strong: Stacey” →

November 14, 2016 9

Fast and Gracious: Mel the Running Rabbit

{Welcome back my feature series on those who have inspired me on my journey. Today’s post is about one the fastest, most dedicated athletes I know. And, everyone loves her because she exudes positivity, encouragement and support. If you missed Strength and Spirit, My Warrior Friend be sure to check it out!!!}

The other day, as I finished one of my regular, moderate runs, I glanced at my running watch to see that I had accomplished about 5 km in about 34 minutes. Not bad, fairly consistent – I was happy with that. As I uploaded my data, I browsed around on Facebook, and came across Melissa’s results for the 10 km race she had just finished that morning. She had reached her goal, a personal best, and a time of 39:10 for 10 km!!! Wow, I thought. How does she do that?

finish-line — Melissa full of winning attitude

I am constantly thinking how does she do that when it comes to Melissa. It just seems that she is always accomplishing another amazing win! She has been most known for her running. She has been competing at many distances for a long time. Since I have met her, she has continuously expanded her horizons. She took on the road racing world with a bang. With only two seasons under her belt, she has already moved up a category and has multiple podium finishes. She has taken on cross country skiing with zest, and recently entered the world of cross biking. The whole time, she is chasing down and challenging her equally speedy husband, Reinier, who is clearly the passion of her life. During a recent foot injury when she could not bike or run, she focused on swimming – something that she knew nothing about. She simply looks at something, and does it. Continue reading “Fast and Gracious: Mel the Running Rabbit” →

November 7, 2016 8

{Guest Post}: Sexism

{Hello to all my readers. This post was written by a very talented fellow blogger, Natalie. I know that I have readers out there that will really enjoy this very insightful post. Happy reading :)}

Let’s talk about sexism.

It sounds simple: there are boys and there are girls, and everyone should be treated equally. Telling women they should have children instead of work? Sexist. Telling men they shouldn’t show emotion or cry – ever? Also sexist. And pressuring girls to wear pink and boys to wear blue? See previous statements.

No one wants to admit that they might be sexist, but maybe we, as a society, need to talk about. I confess – I’m a recovering sexist.

If I had to summarize my personality in one word, I’d choose “tomboy.” In high school, I played competitive tennis. In college, I bought a motorcycle. No one taught me how to apply make-up, and pink, sparkly clothes aren’t my thing.　That was my style, and everyone told me that was A-Okay.

And it was. What they forgot to mention, though, was that being a tomboy didn’t make me better than other girls. Continue reading “{Guest Post}: Sexism” →

August 22, 2016 25